Labour MP for the Llanelli constituency

A no deal Brexit would be a complete disaster for the UK

Home > News > A no deal Brexit would be a complete disaster for the UK

This article first appeared in the Llanelli Star 16/08/19

This
is a very dangerous moment for our country.

We
now have a Prime Minister who gives the impression a No Deal Brexit is a viable
option. It is not. It would be a complete disaster for our country, and
particularly for workers in Wales who would lose their jobs.

I
recognise that many people who voted to leave the European Union believe we
just need to get out. This is understandable, but the truth is that leaving the
EU without a deal will NOT get Brexit over and done with and allow us to move
on. On the contrary, a No Deal Brexit will just be the beginning of a long
process to establish a future relationship with the EU, which, with our economy
in tatters and chaos at our borders, we will be negotiating from a very weak
position.

The
fact of the matter is that without any agreements in place, there will be
tariffs on goods we export to the EU. Those goods will also face customs and
regulatory checks. Both of these facts will massively increase costs for many
of our vital industries. For example, EU member states would have to place
tariffs of 10% on finished cars and 2.5% to 4.5% on car components imported
from the UK. Many of these components cross the UK/EU border multiple times
during production, so costs would accumulate. This would pose a huge threat to
the automotive factories we have here in Llanelli.

Similarly,
a No Deal Brexit is serious threat to our steel industry. Steelworks like
Trostre rely on trade with Europe, so the tariffs that would be placed on our
steel exports by European countries would be crippling. This, combined with the
extra costs and delays involved in moving goods between the UK and the EU,
could prove fatal for many of our steelworks which already face huge challenges.

Leaving
the EU without a deal would mean economic chaos and job losses. That’s why I
could never support a No Deal Brexit, and why I will be doing everything I can
to stop it from happening.